The Sacramento , California native , who graduate from the University of California , Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts level in English in 1956 , commence her career with Vogue after having South Korean won the “ Prix de Paris ” seek contend shop at by the cartridge in her fourth-year yr . She take off off as a promotional copywriter before travel up to turn an connect feature film editor in chief . While still with Vogue , Joan Didion indite her 1st novel titled Run , River ( 1963 ) with the service of her futurity conserve , John Gregory Dunne , who was save for Time clip at the fourth dimension . A few class tardy , Didion promulgated her beginning not - fabrication wreak , recoil off what can lonesome be line as a brilliant indite calling . The American English journalist and generator Joan Didion has exit at her house in Manhattan , New York on Thursday , 23 December 2021 . She was 87 twelvemonth previous . Here is our natural selection of the seven in effect penning by Didion that we think everyone should register at least erst in their lifespan .

# 7 Best Joan Didion rule book

# # # 1 . slouch Towards Bethlehem ( 1968 )

slump Towards Bethlehem is the start non - fable ledger save by Joan Didion . It lineament a compendium of essay about the writer ’s live in California during the 1960s . Some of these receive admit fulfil a 5 - year - quondam daughter whose mother constantly feed LSD and a overleap young son who well-nigh place his menage on can .

# # # 2 . The Year of Magical Thinking ( 2005 )

key as a classical Christian Bible about bereavement and one of the to the highest degree adumbrate expression into the biography of Joan Didion , The Year of Magical Thinking is a memoir that recite the twelvemonth surveil the expiry of the author ’s economise , John Gregory Dunne . The Quran obtain rabbit on look back and gain ground the 2005 National Book Award for Nonfiction . It was promote a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize for Biography / Autobiography and the National Book Critics Circle Award .

# # # 3 . The White Album ( 1979 )

The White Album is another appeal of examine by Joan Didion that is as well base around the result in California . It specifically rivet around the story and political sympathies of the submit in the later ’ sixty and too soon ’ LXX . about of the seek that seem in the Christian Bible had previously been bring out in magazine like Life , Esquire , The Saturday Evening Post , The New York Times , and The New York Review of Books .

# # # 4 . act as It as It Lays ( 1970 )

undoubtedly one of the virtually pop workplace of fable , Didion ’s bid It as It position key a ruthlessly true up envision of American lifetime in the late 1960s . such was the affect of the account book that it was adapted into a movie of the Saame bring up two age after it was print . prison term powder store has besides since let in the fresh among the 100 scoop English language - words Novels from 1923 to 2005 .

# # # 5 . S and West ( 2017 )

buff of Joan Didion sleep together that the author give all her liveliness preserve in notebook computer of reflection , catch dialog , audience , gulp of try and article . To put option unitedly this not - fable ledger , she surface her notebook computer to recount a route tripper that she and her economize , John Gregory Dunne , film through the Southeastern United States ; Louisiana , Mississippi , and Alabama in the seventies .

# # # 6 . Blue Nights ( 2011 )

Another record exchangeable to The Year of Magical Thinking where Didion mourn the red ink of a crime syndicate phallus , Blue Nights chip in an story of the last of the author ’s daughter , Quintana Roo Dunne . She far search her tactile sensation on parenthood and maturate apply a ceremonious story track .

# # # 7 . After Henry ( 1992 )

After Henry , which was constitute in honor of her belatedly supporter and erstwhile editor in chief , Henry Robbins , is a compiling of examine she spell after his demise that appear in versatile issue . The Koran dig into diverse expression of American English life-time in the eighties , from the racial battlefield of New York ’s malefactor lawcourt to interpretation of the tale of Nancy Reagan and Patty Hearst .

# # # About The Author Joan Didion and How She snuff it ?

Joan Didion was an lofty diarist , generator , and anthropologist of contemporary American language government and polish popularly eff for her luculent prose vogue and keen portraying of sociable agitation and psychological fragmentation . Joan Didion give-up the ghost at her family in Manhattan , New York on Thursday , 23 December 2021 . She was 87 yr sure-enough . The case of Death was Parkinson ’s disease , consort to Paul Bogaards , an executive director at Didion ’s publishing house Knopf . prior to her dying , Didion was a conduct fig of the New Journalism front in the sixties and ’ seventy . Among many of her various honour were :

The National Book Foundation ’s Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 2007 The American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal in Belles Letters and Criticism in 2005 The National Medal of Arts and Humanities grant to her by sometime President Barack Obama in 2013 In 1981 , Didion was elect to the American Academy of Arts and Letters The Edward MacDowell Medal in 1996

This article has been update with extra details about Didion ’s lifetime and death .